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Jan. 20, 2009
‚ÄúPresident-elect Barack Obama was about to walk out to take the oath of office. Backstage at the U.S. Capitol, he took one last look at his appearance in the mirror.‚ÄĚ (Official White House photo by Pete Souza)

Jan. 20, 2009
‚ÄúWe were on a freight elevator headed to one of the Inaugural Balls. It was quite chilly, so the President removed his tuxedo jacket and put it over the shoulders of his wife. Then they had a semi-private moment as staff member and Secret Service agents tried not to look.‚ÄĚ
(Official White House photo by Pete Souza)

Jan. 21, 2009
‚ÄúThis was his first morning in the Oval Office as President of the United States. He was reading some briefing material before a meeting.‚ÄĚ
(Official White House photo by Pete Souza)

March 15, 2009
‚ÄúThe Obama family was introduced to a prospective family dog at a secret greet on a Sunday. After spending about an hour with him, the family decided he was the one. Here, the dog ran alongside the President in an East Wing hallway. The dog returned to his trainer while the Obama‚Äôs embarked on their first international trip. I had to keep these photos secret until a few weeks later, when the dog was brought ‚Äėhome‚Äô to the White House and introduced to the world as Bo.‚ÄĚ
(Official White House photo by Pete Souza)

Feb. 22, 2009
‚ÄúThis was the first formal function at the White House in the administration: the Governors Ball. The President dances with his wife while singing along with the band Earth, Wind and Fire.‚ÄĚ
(Official White House photo by Pete Souza)

Feb. 1, 2009
‚ÄúDuring a Super Bowl watching party in the White House theatre, the President and First Lady join their guests in watching one of the TV commercials in 3D.‚ÄĚ (Official White House photo by Pete Souza)

May 20, 2009
‚ÄúIt was a glorious spring day and President Obama decided to move his meeting with his senior advisors outside to the Rose Garden.‚ÄĚ
(Official White House photo by Pete Souza)

May 8, 2009
‚ÄúA temporary White House staffer, Carlton Philadelphia, brought his family to the Oval Office for a farewell photo with President Obama. Carlton‚Äôs son softly told the President he had just gotten a haircut like President Obama, and asked if he could feel the President‚Äôs head to see if it felt the same as his.‚ÄĚ
(Official White House photo by Pete Souza)

Dec. 3, 2009
‚ÄúPresident Obama heads along the White House colonnade to the residence after leaving the Oval Office for the day.‚ÄĚ
(Official White House photo by Pete Souza)

Oct. 29, 2009
‚ÄúThis photo was taken about 4AM after the President made an unannounced trip to Dover Air Force Base to pay respects to fallen troops coming back from Afghanistan. After meeting privately with the families, the President walked alone up the ramp of the cargo plane carrying the 18 caskets, all draped in American flags. I could see the emotion on his face as he walked from casket to casket, leaving a Presidential coin on each. When he was done, he paused for a few minutes, head bowed in prayer. I heard him tell others later how that was the most difficult moment of his Presidency thus far. Out of respect for the families, not all of who wanted their ceremony photographed, we can‚Äôt show those pictures (but they will become part of Presidential archive.) (Official White House photo by Pete Souza)

Jan. 20, 2010
"This was the night after the special election in Massachusetts, when Republican Scott Brown had unexpectedly won the Senate seat belonging to the late Sen. Edward Kennedy. Brown's election deprived the Democrats of 60 votes in the Senate, putting in jeopardy the passage of healthcare reform, a sentiment that you can see on the faces of the President and his aides."
(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Oct. 30, 2009
‚ÄúThe President plays peek-a-boo with the daughter of White House staffer Emmitt Beliveau in the Outer Oval Office. It‚Äôs interesting to note that this photograph was taken not long after the conclusion of his Afghanistan meeting in the Situation Room. So he went from this very substantive meeting to being able to lighten up for a minute with this young girl.‚ÄĚ (Official White House photo by Pete Souza)

Jan. 27, 2010
"As the President entered the House chamber to give his State of the Union address, I turned around to see his pathway to the podium. It reminded me of a scene from the movie, "The American President."
(Official White House photo by Pete Souza)

Nov. 24, 2009
‚ÄúThe President and First Lady wait for Indian Prime Minister Singh‚Äôs motorcade to depart the White House at the conclusion of the first official state dinner for the Obama administration. The dinner was held in a tent on the South Lawn.‚ÄĚ
(Official White House photo by Pete Souza)

Dec. 6, 2009
‚ÄúHaving seen more than 25 Bruce Springsteen concerts since 1978 and having seen just about every movie Robert DeNiro has ever made, it was a great thrill to be in their presence as the President greeted them before the Kennedy Center Honors at the White House.‚ÄĚ
(Official White House photo by Pete Souza)

Dec. 19, 2009
‚ÄúSnowball in hand, the President chases Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel on the White House colonnade. To escape, Rahm ran through the Rose Garden, which unfortunately for him, was knee-deep in snow.‚ÄĚ
(Official White House photo by Pete Souza)

March 19, 2010
"After dinner, the President returned to the Oval Office to continue pressing Congressmen to vote for the health care reform bill. In those final days before the vote, the President made hundreds of calls." (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

March 21, 2010
"Watching the historic House vote on a television in the Roosevelt Room, the President and Vice President applauded after the bill passed. It was an emotional conclusion to an almost year-long battle to pass health care reform."
(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

April 23, 2009
‚ÄúThe President throws a football to one of his aides before a meeting in the Oval Office.‚ÄĚ (Official White House photo by Pete Souza)

Feb. 6, 2010
"Another snowstorm blanketed Washington for the second time in a few days. Because it was a Saturday, I hung around the White House thinking that the President might venture out in the snow with his daughters. Here they are playing in the Rose Garden in the midst of the storm." (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Aug. 8, 2010
"We were walking through a locker room at the University of Texas when White House Trip Director Marvin Nicholson stopped to weigh himself on a scale. Unbeknownst to him, the President was stepping on the back of the scale, as Marvin continued to slide the scale lever. Everyone but Marvin was in on the joke." (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Sept. 1, 2010
"Halfway through his second year, the President finally got his own Oval Office rug (he had been using President Bush's). The new rug includes several famous quotations, and I tried to frame people's feet by some of the words in the quotations." (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Feb. 5, 2011
"The two coaches for Sasha Obama's basketball team couldn't make it to one of her games, so the President and his then personal aide, Reggie Love, filled in as coaches for this game one Saturday. Here they along with Sasha's teammates react during the game."
(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Oct. 8, 2009
‚ÄúThe President jockeys for a rebound with Congressmen during a basketball game at the White House. I think opponents are always surprised at how tough and competitive he can be.‚ÄĚ
(Official White House photo by Pete Souza)

June 4, 2010
"To call attention to the safety of the seafood in the Gulf Coast, the President ate some shrimp and crawfish with locals in Grand Isle, Louisiana. I noticed all the hands digging into the food and thought it made an interesting angle." (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

May 19, 2010
"I had recently watched an old National Geographic documentary film on the White House and adapted the idea of shooting this angle from a scene in the film as the President and President Felipe Calderon of Mexico descended the Grand Staircase before a State Dinner at the White House." (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Sept. 16, 2010
"We had arrived back at the Westchester County Airport in New York, headed back to Washington. Because of the configuration of the helicopter, everyone had to board before the President. So he waited for a few minutes in the motorcade, illuminated by the interior light, until everyone was situated." (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

March 20, 2011
"Despite security concerns, the President decided to walk into the street to wave to people gathered outside the Cidade de Deus favela community center in Rio de Janeiro. As he was walking, a young boy reached out of a closed door and the President reached over to give him a fist bump." (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Nov. 14, 2010
"Visiting the Great Buddha of Kamakura, in Japan, the President had a green tea ice cream bar with his hosts. He had visited this Buddha as a young child and said he remembered sitting in the exact same place having an ice cream bar." (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Oct. 11, 2010
"The sun was setting as the Presidential motorcade arrived back at Miami International Airport. I ran to get in front of Air Force One so I could use the beautiful sky as the background when the President boarded the plane." (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Nov. 3, 2010
"The day after the mid-term election, the President waited in the Blue Room before facing the press at a news conference." (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Nov. 23, 2010
"Late at night in the Treaty Room office in the White House Residence, the President speaks on the phone to President Lee of South Korea after North Korea had conducted an artillery attack against the South Korean island of Yeonpyeong." (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

April 6, 2011
"Following the late night meeting on the budget, the President pulled aside House Speaker John Boehner for a private talk in the Oval Office. This was an unusual angle shot from the private dining room looking back through the hallway with the Oval in the background."
(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

May 1, 2011
"Much has been made of this photograph that shows the President and Vice President and the national security team monitoring in real time the mission against Osama bin Laden. Some more background on the photograph: The White House Situation Room is actually comprised of several different conference rooms. The majority of the time, the President convenes meetings in the large conference room with assigned seats. But to monitor this mission, the group moved into the much smaller conference room. The President chose to sit next to Brigadier General Marshall B. ‚ÄúBrad‚ÄĚ Webb, Assistant Commanding General of Joint Special Operations Command, who was point man for the communications taking place. WIth so few chairs, others just stood at the back of the room. I was jammed into a corner of the room with no room to move. During the mission itself, I made approximately 100 photographs, almost all from this cramped spot in the corner. Seated in this picture from left to right: Vice President Biden, the President, Brig. Gen. Webb, Deputy National Security Advisor Denis McDonough, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, and then Secretary of Defense Robert Gates. Standing, from left, are: Admiral Mike Mullen, then Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; National Security Advisor Tom Donilon; Chief of Staff Bill Daley; Tony Blinken, National Security Advisor to the Vice President; Audrey Tomason Director for Counterterrorism; John Brennan, Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism; and Director of National Intelligence James Clapper. Please note: a classified document seen in front of Sec. Clinton has been obscured." (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

May 5, 2011
"A few days after the mission against bin Laden, the President traveled to New York City to meet with families of the 9/11 victims. He also visited at Engine 54, Ladder 4, Battalion 9 Firehouse. The firehouse, known as the "Pride of Midtown," lost 15 firefighters on 9/11 -- an entire shift and more than any other New York firehouse. Here, the firefighters offer an impromptu toast to the President in honor of their fallen comrades during a lunch at the station house."
(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

July 7, 2011
"The reflection in this photo (since so many people ask me) was taken with my camera just above a small glass-topped table in the Oval Office as the President talked with members of his staff following a meeting with the Congressional leadership."
(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Aug. 26, 2011
"A former President once said, 'Presidents don't get vacations, they just get a change of scenery.' We were on 'vacation' in Martha's Vineyard and the President was monitoring Hurricane Irene with John Brennan, Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism, at right in light blue shirt. They were waiting for a conference call on the hurricane with affected governors and mayors."
(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Sept. 14, 2011
"The President offers a toast to Medal of Honor recipient Dakota Meyer on the patio outside of the Oval Office. Before receiving the Medal, Meyer said he wished he could have a beer with the President; the President granted his wish and the next day awarded him the Medal during a ceremony at the White House."
(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Oct. 13, 2010
"After a day filled with meetings, the President headed to the White House basketball court to shoot a few baskets with his personal aide Reggie Love. Before heading back to the Oval, he flipped the ball towards the rim just where the afternoon light was falling."
(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

June 13, 2012
"There was still a little light left in the evening sky as the President Barack and First Lady waved goodbye to President Shimon Peres of Israel following a dinner in his honor at the White House."
(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Sept. 21, 2011
"The First Lady reacts to something the President whispered to her at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in between events related to the United Nations General Assembly in New York City."
(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Oct. 14, 2011
"The Obama family made an unannounced visit to tour the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial in Washington, D.C. the night before the President made remarks at the official dedication of the memorial." (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Feb. 13, 2012
"From early spring to late fall, the light in the Oval Office is fairly consistent with the sun high above the horizon during the day. But during the winter months, the sun is lower and splashes through the back window in the early morning and late afternoon. Here, in the midst of the morning light, the President talks on the phone with British Prime Minister David Cameron." (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

May 1, 2012
"In Afghanistan, there was virtually no light inside the helicopter as we flew from Kabul back to Bagram Air Field after the President had met with Afghan President Hamid Karzai. (For the photo buffs, this photograph was taken at ISO 6400, 1/5 second at f/1.4.) Flanking the President are General John Allen, Commanding General of U.S. Forces in Afghanistan, and U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Ryan Crocker. Denis McDonough, Deputy National Security Advisor, is at left." (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

May 1, 2012
"A soldier hugs the President as he greeted U.S. troops at Bagram Air Field in Afghanistan." (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

May 1, 2012
"For the President, this was one of the most poignant moments of the his first term. He was visiting wounded warriors in the intensive care unit at Bagram Air Field in Afghanistan. He had just presented a Purple Heart to Sgt. Chase Haag, who had been injured by an IED just hours before. Sgt. Haag was covered with a blanket and it was difficult to see how badly he was injured. He was also seemingly unconscious, or perhaps just asleep. The President whispered in his ear so not to wake him. Just then, there was a rustling under the blanket and Sgt. Haag, eyes still closed, reached his hand out to shake hands with the President. 'I'll never forget that moment,' someone else in the room later told me." (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

April 18, 2012
"We were doing an event at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Mich. Before speaking, the President was looking at some of the automobiles and exhibits adjacent to the event, and before I knew what was happening he walked onto the famed Rosa Parks bus. He sat in one of the seats, looking out the window for only a few seconds." (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Nov. 1, 2011
"Usually the best moments at meetings are before and after the participants actually sit down. In this case, though, there was an interesting juxtaposition of gestures as the President and Vice President met with the House Democratic Leadership in the Oval Office." (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

June 29, 2012
"The President views fire damage with firefighters and elected officials in Colorado Springs, Colo. after the devastating wildfires swept through the region the week before." (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

April 24, 2012
"The President wipes off his trousers after being splattered by frozen yogurt while shaking hands along a ropeline in Boulder, Colo. University of Colorado student Kolbi Zerbest had placed her cup of yogurt on the ground while trying to shake hands with the President, and someone else inadvertently kicked the cup." (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

July 5, 2012
"'Anyone want to try a piece of my strawberry pie,' the President asked those at adjacent tables during a stop for lunch at Kozy Corners restaurant in Oak Harbor, Ohio. A young boy said yes and came over for a big bite of pie." (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

June 15, 2012
"We had just arrived at the helicopter landing zone in Chicago and instead of walking right to the motorcade, the President and First Lady walked past their vehicle to the edge of Lake Michigan to view the skyline of their home town."
(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Sept. 7, 2012
"The President and Vice President share a laugh before a campaign rally together in Portsmouth, N.H."
(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Oct. 26, 2012
"The President to be caught in Spider-Man's web as he greets the Nicholas Tamarin, 3, just outside the Oval Office. Spider-Man had been trick-or-treating for an early Halloween with his father, White House aide Nate Tamarin in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. I can never commit to calling any picture my favorite, but the President told me that this was HIS favorite picture of the year when he saw it hanging in the West Wing a couple of weeks later."
(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Nov. 3, 2012
"I had noticed the possibility of a potential good photograph if the President were to pass by this flag as he departed an evening campaign rally in Dubuque, Iowa. So I planted myself backstage as he finished working a ropeline and managed to get one usable frame as he walked by." (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Nov. 6, 2012 (Election Day)
"While he waited for the concession call from Gov. Mitt Romney, the President worked on his acceptance speech with Jon Favreau, Director of Speechwriting, and campaign advisor David Axelrod at a Chicago hotel." (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

March 30, 2012
"We had just arrived aboard the Marine One helicopter on the South Lawn and the President was walking into the White House. I had seen this scene several times but had never been able to quite capture it the way I wanted. Here, finally, arriving at night, I was able to frame him walking into the light of the Diplomatic Reception Room, with the added bonus of his shadow being cast from the television lights off to the left." (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Photos: Obama’s first term in office, the best photos of Pete Souza

Chief White House Photographer Pete Souza has methodically documented President Barack Obama's first four years in office. His images offer an intimate, behind-the-scenes portrait of Obama's first term and the first family. From inauguration through the 2012 election, Pete Souza has been there to capture everything from the biggest historical events to quiet, personal moments.